News 18:00

BULLETIN 29 February 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa will host the G20 summit in 2025
# Sasol and Transnet’s five-year partnership will enhance rail transport reliability
# And Soccer: Ronaldo is penalised over a provocative gesture in Saudi Arabia

# Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, confirmed Cabinet’s consideration of preparations for South Africa’s hosting of the G20 Summit next year, marking a historic moment as the first African country to host this prestigious gathering. Ntshavheni briefed the media on the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting, expressing confidence in South Africa’s ability to deliver a successful summit. Ntshavheni says Cabinet has also approved hosting the ninth annual meeting of the New Development Bank in June this year, reinforcing government’s commitment to sustainable development on the continent:

# Cabinet welcomes Sasol and Transnet’s public-private partnership to enhance the reliability of rail transport. Under the agreement, Transnet Freight Rail will utilise its fleet of 128 ammonia tankers to transport ammonia from Sasol’s facilities to customers. In return, Sasol will finance the maintenance and repair programme for the fleet over five years. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni told the media this partnership is significant in the freight logistics roadmap, with anticipated positive impacts on both companies and the broader economy:

# The National Prosecuting Authority anticipates the prompt extradition of two suspects linked to the murder of rapper Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes and his friend, businessman Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane. The duo was arrested in Eswatini on Saturday, and appeared in court on Monday. Five other accused appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court today, with the case postponed to Wednesday. KwaZulu-Natal NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara says there are various charges against the accused:

# Soccer: The Saudi Arabian governing body suspended Portuguese star player Cristiano Ronaldo for a game and fined him almost 154-thousand-rand after he made a gesture on the field deemed to be a provocation. The incident happened during his team Al-Nassr’s recent match against Al-Shabab. Ronaldo was irritated when the crowd taunted him by chanting the name of his long-time rival, Argentinian captain Lionel Messi. Ronaldo said afterwards the gesture was considered acceptable in Europe as expressing strength and victory.

# And finally: Leap Day was blamed for a ten-hour glitch with card payment machines at New Zealand filling stations. The country’s fuel suppliers say their systems weren’t programmed to deal with the date of 29 February, leading to problems with card payments at all fuel brands. The problem was only fixed at about seven o’clock in the evening. The software provider, Invenco, is expected to issue a full incident report into the matter. Suppliers promised a discount day next week to compensate customers for the inconvenience.

Stay tuned for more news………….